James Rattray was a soldier and artist, born in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England, who died at Dorundah, in the Ranchi Division, Nagpore, India. At the time of making his notable sketches he was a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Grenadiers, Bengal Army, serving in Afghanistan.
Frontispiece of his book Afghaunistan published in 1847
Tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in 1839–40
Mir Alam a Coistaunee Warrior, as sketched by Rattray c.1840
The Lithograph of the same portrait by Robert Carrick c.1847
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan (Barakzai) and former King Shah Shujah (Durrani), whom they reinstalled upon occupying Kabul in August 1839. The main British Indian force occupied Kabul and endured harsh winters. The force and its camp followers were almost completely massacred during the 1842 retreat from Kabul.
Lithograph depicting British-Indian force storming the fortress during the Battle of Ghazni, 23 July 1839
Sir – I – Khajur in the Bolan Pass, 1839
The Opening in to the Narrow Path above the Siri Bolan from James Atkinson's Sketches in Afghaunistan
Dost Mohammad Khan’s surrender in 1840 following his victory at Parwan Darra.
